


Robert And Lisa At Wishing Well Cottage

by theprincessed



Series: Village Talk [14]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Conversations, Family Feels, Gen, M/M, Post Christmas, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 12:06:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9070900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theprincessed/pseuds/theprincessed
Summary: Robert goes to see Lisa at Wishing Well, armed with a surprise for her…





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya! Two fics in one day? I am on a roll and this was unplanned as well! Just a random little VT I thought of whilst painting my nails and having some Lisa Dingle feels (she was great in tonight's ep).
> 
> Hope you enjoy x

Robert mentally shakes himself, takes a deep breath in and knocks on the rickety wooden door to Wishing Well.

“It's open!” Lisa's voice booms cheerily from inside, so he holds the bolt and goes inside, stopping short one step through when he sees Lisa sat on her throw-covered couch with Ronnie Hale.

“Oh, I – er - ” he blinks, suddenly unsure if this is a good idea.

It's a small consolation that Ronnie seems just as surprised and uncomfortable because he puts down his mug and brushes his jeans down before he stands. “I, um – best be off anyway.” he says to Lisa softly.

“Oh do you really?” she replies, a plea behind her words and Robert shuffles half a step into the doorway, feeling like he should just slip away and not come back until he's probably forced to next Christmas.

Ronnie nods. “Afraid so, love. Lawrence and I – well, we're just...” he trails off with a disarming little shy shrug and puts his arms around Lisa in a quick hug. “I'm glad you had a nice Christmas. Let's catch up again before New Year, eh?”

Robert has heard that they've struck up an unlikely friendship, although he's not sure why he'd find it unlikely. Ronnie seems like a working class man done well and someone with a good heart to boot. The same can be said for Lisa and maybe that's one of the things they have in common. He refrains from making a comment about Lawrence as Ronnie awkwardly says goodbye to both of them and thinks of it as another progress point, even if he'll probably go home to Aaron tonight and gossip about Lawrence's new beau being here too. 

The door clanks shut like it did behind he and Aaron as they left the cottage behind a couple of days ago to have some time to themselves on Christmas Day. He's reminiscing about curling up in bed with Netflix on his laptop and an equally satisfied Aaron resting his head on his chest when Lisa comes closer, wearing a kind smile.

“Now then, Robert. What can I do for you?” He looks at her hand resting on the sleeve of his woollen coat, the moment strange and maternal. Suddenly, he understands a lot more than he did in the busy surroundings of a Dingle knees up – he understands why everyone in need seems to fall on her doorstep and why she will always be the matriarch of the clan, with or without Zak's presence. “Robert? No, it's not our Aaron, is it?”

That makes him focus. “Sorry! Aaron's – Aaron's fine,” he clears his throat, embarrassed to feel like his defences have been unknowingly crushed around a woman he barely knows. Maybe that's part of the Lisa Dingle effect too. He puts his hand into the deep side pocket of his new three quarter length coat and pulls out a thick cream envelope. “I just wanted to drop this into you.”

“What's this?” she says, taking it from him then gesturing behind her, “hey, come on, sit down. Can I get you a cuppa?”

He puts his hand up, placating her fussing, “I've got a meeting in an hour so I'm not staying,”

“But you will soon, eh?” She puts her hand on top of his, warm and concerned, “I feel like we hardly got to speak during all the Christmas madness.”

“Sure,” he finds himself agreeing, watching her eyes disappear as she smiles bright and the light above them glints off the sequinned scrunchie tying back some of her grey hair. “I'll bring Aaron and Liv, make a proper visit of it.” He grins at the prospect of doing something so disgustingly domestic as visiting distant relatives-by-(almost)-marriage for tea then eyes the envelope still carefully clutched in both of her hands. “Just as soon as you put me out of my misery and open that.”

With fondly suspiciously eyes, Lisa peels back the flap and pulls out several glossy pamphlets, her gaze scanning them feverishly instead of the man before her. “Robert, I can't - ” she breathes, hand to her shocked mouth.

“Charity wouldn't stop going on and on about that spa you both went to a couple of months back,” he explains quickly, “So I looked into it and I got you a few days away in another one of their local hotels - y'know, just to say thank you for having me, for having _all of us_ this Christmas. I know we sort of dumped ourselves on you after the, uh, peacock mishap.”

“Oh, love!” she cries, throwing her arms around his neck so that he has to stoop to accept the hug. “You didn't have to - “

He pulls away from the embrace. “I know, I wanted to. Trust me, you deserve it for putting up with that lot,” he jokes, searching for her reaction.

Lisa tuts and cups his jaw, “That includes you now. And Liv. You're part of this crazy family too, whether you like it or not.” She pinches his cheek, follows it up with a light smack reminiscent of when Chas is drunk and handsy then down to squeeze his hand tight. “Thank you.”

He attempts to brush away her gratitude before her stern look makes him recapture some of his arrogance of old and he nods silently, a smirk crossing his face. He looks at his watch. “I better go. Nicola's got me meeting a client in Leeds because Jimmy's apparently 'tied up' and I don't want to know what she means by that.” He moves to the door before remembering something last minute and turns to see Lisa and the envelope cradled to her chest. He likes buying things for Aaron – _spoiling him_ , Aaron grumbles – but he had no idea doing this for another Dingle family member would feel this good. “By the way, I'd say take Charity with you because it's a package for two and it'll get her away from the pub for a bit, but maybe you should take Belle instead, like a belated birthday thing? Anyway, see you later.”

“Yeah,” she echoes faintly, “see you soon, love.”

On the walk down from the cottage to where he parked his Porsche near to the caravan, Robert avoids the muddiest patches as best as he can in his shiny shoes and pressed suit and slides gratefully into his car. He checks he has the relevant paperwork with him for his meeting one last time then glances up at the rear view mirror, feeling like his face is stretched a mile wide. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to being this happy and that's what makes him want to cling on for dear life for as long as he can. Giddy, he pulls his phone from the inside pocket of his coat and types a quick text to Aaron.

_I just did my good deed for the day and no, it's got nothing to do with my meeting. I think you should be ready to reward me tonight x_

What?

He's reformed his ways, not had a total personality transplant!

He spends the rest of the day with a cocky spring in his step, a recurring client in the bag again, an idea of what takeaway and film to choose and what he wants Aaron to do to him when he gets home. If Lisa and Belle feel half as good at the spa as he's hoping to feel tonight then he did alright by them.

Life is good.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, lovelies x
> 
> I'm on tumblr at [theprincessed](http://www.theprincessed.tumblr.com). Come chat to me. :)


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